RICHMOND, Va. – Two violent felons whoescaped from the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County have been captured by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Grand Rapids Fugitive Task Force apprehended both escapees this evening without incident at a hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan.
On Monday, July 13, Marshals say Rashad E. Williams and Jabar Ali Taylor assaulted a correctional officer and fled through a hole cut in a perimeter fence. A getaway vehicle was staged outside of the detention center.
Since the escape, U.S. Marshals pursued numerous leads in several states, showing that the pair was traveling together and had initially fled to Pennsylvania. The nearly two-week fugitive investigation came to an end Saturday evening, 700 miles away from the scene of the escape.
Related: US Marshals searching for 2 violent felons who escaped from Virginia correctional center
Around 5:00 p.m., the U.S. Marshals-led Grand Rapids Fugitive Task Force arrested the pair in the 5700 block of Beckley Road in Battle Creek, Michigan.
“This complex investigation and arrest is yet another example of the tenacity and the “never give up” attitude displayed by Deputy U.S. Marshals and our state and local law enforcement partners all over this great country. Hours of dedicated investigative work by our law enforcement team ensured the safety of the public by getting these very dangerous escapees back into custody quickly and safely. I hope the efforts of these law enforcement professionals will in some way allow our citizens in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and elsewhere, to rest more comfortably tonight,” said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Department of Juvenile Justice Director Valerie Boykin released the following statement:
First and foremost, we wish to thank the Virginia State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, the Michigan Law Enforcement agencies and all who were involved in the safe apprehension of the two individuals who escaped from the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center last week. We also continue to cooperate fully with the Virginia State Police in their ongoing investigation in connection with this incident. All of the dedicated professionals committed to the rehabilitation of the youth in our care at Bon Air join me in hoping that investigators will get to the bottom of this incident so that appropriate action may be taken.
I also have ordered a complete security analysis of the Bon Air campus in the wake of the escapes. Our DJJ investigators and Residential Services management team are conducting internal reviews, and I am bringing in an external team to conduct an independent analysis to augment our findings. We are committed to determine if more immediate security enhancements are needed at Bon Air. Bon Air is an old campus, and this incident highlights the need for a more modern state-of-the-art secure treatment facility. Prior to this incident, we had not had an escape in over 20 years. It is extremely important to us to continue to be a good neighbor to the Bon Air community as we fulfill our role in public safety.
Both Williams and Taylor will be held at the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek, Michigan.
